A SET of employment conditions for transsexuals is to be adopted by Lancashire County Council.

The series of conditions for people who are planning sex changes will include rules on which toilets can be used, dealing with children and working in sensitive religious areas.

County Hall looks set to follow the example followed by the Government by bringing in the new working arrangements and conditions. A Government paper on transsexualism in the workplace has been sent to councils across the country.

Whitehall chiefs want to hear from local authorities before any new legislation is introduced.

The move follows a recent high profile case in the European Court of Justice involving Cornwall County Council and several industrial tribunals.

Local interest in the subject has also been heightened following a sex change storyline on Coronation Street involving East Lancashire actress Julie Hesmondhalgh. The Government's policies cover toilet arrangements, working with children and disclosure of personal details.

County council personnel bosses say they would prefer to take each case on its own merits before deciding whether transsexuals should be allowed to work in children's homes.

County Hall is also backing proposals which would give the employer the right to tell transsexuals which toilets to use in the run-up to sex change operations.

And transsexuals would not be allowed to do jobs which would include intimate physical contact with customers and clients.

Transsexuals could also be barred from taking jobs in sensitive religious areas and from dealing with certain types of people who could be easily disturbed.

The new working conditions will be discussed at an equal opportunity in employment sub-committee on Thursday.

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